'Dark Knight Rises' Christian Bale: 'Bane pushes Batman to his limit'

Christian Bale has suggested that Batman meets his match in Bane for director Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

The Bruce Wayne actor explained that the movie sees Batman face a physically superior enemy for the first time in Nolan's trilogy.

"This is the first time it appears highly unlikely that Batman will come out on top in a physical altercation," Flicks and Bits quotes the actor as saying.

Bale continued: "[Bruce] has been dormant for years, so he's in a weakened condition to begin with, and Bane, he's not only incredibly strong but ruthless in terms of his sheer militancy and the ideology that drives him.

"Tom Hardy did a wonderful job becoming this very formidable adversary. He is a very bold actor that I admire greatly, a phenomenal actor, a formidable opponent. It was fantastic working with him."